κόβαλος

Forms

κόβᾱλος (kóbālos) m (genitive κοβᾱ́λου); second declension^[1]

Etymology

Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, from Pre-Greek, because of its suffix -ᾱλος (-ālos) and its variants κόαλος (kóalos) (plural), κοάλεμος (koā́lemos) “blockhead” and καυαλός (kaualós).^[2][3] It belongs to the low language of comedy and has no Indo-European etymology.^[3][4]

Björck, following Wilamowitz, took the original sense to be “porter, carrier”, which became an insult, “rogue”; the old sense would survive in κοβαλεύω (kobāleúō) “to transport”, in the papyri.^[3][4][1] Wilamowitz located the word in Corinth, and Zacher, with Kretschmer, took it for Thraco-Phrygian, as Babiniotis also thinks likely.^[4][5] A connection with Latin caballus (“horse”) has been proposed, but Björck and Babiniotis reject it.^[4][3][5]

The Suda derives it from κοπίς (kopís) “chopper”, as if a robber's word.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Old Comedy: Aristophanes uses the neuter plural for “knavish tricks” in the Knights, and calls people rogues in the Knights, Frogs and Wealth.^[7][8][9] Pherecrates speaks of an outrageous and knavish deed, and Phrynichus calls Midias a rogue.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

In the Knights Aristophanes invokes the Kobaloi as mischievous little spirits, gods of rogues.^[7][9] Aristotle used it of the owl, as a buffoon and mimic, and Dio Cassius still used it for a rogue.^[7] Its derivatives include κοβαλεία (kobaleía) “knavery” (Dinarchus) and κοβαλικεύομαι (kobalikeúomai) “to cheat” in the Knights.^[4][10]

The verb κοβαλεύω (kobāleúō) “to transport” continued into Medieval Greek and gave Modern Greek κουβαλώ (kouvaló, “to carry, haul”).^[4][11][5]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Aristophanes uses it in the Knights for knavish tricks and for spirits of mischief.^[7][9][12]
• 5th century BC – Pherecrates calls a deed knavish.^[7][12]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it of the owl.^[7][12]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Dinarchus uses the derivative κοβαλεία (kobaleía).^[4][12]
• 2nd–3rd century AD – Dio Cassius uses it for a rogue.^[7][12]
• Modern Greek – The verb Modern Greek κουβαλώ (kouvaló) “to carry” continues κοβαλεύω (kobāleúō).^[11][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. An impudent rogue, knave, scoundrel.^[7][9]
2. (plural) Mischievous goblins, spirits invoked by rogues.^[7][9]
3. Of the owl: a buffoon, mimic.^[7]

Adjective

1. Knavish, roguish.^[7][9] (Neuter plural) knavish tricks, rogueries.^[7][9]

Word family

• κοβαλεύω (kobāleúō)
• κοβαλεία (kobaleía)
• κοβαλικεύομαι (kobalikeúomai)

Related words

• κοάλεμος (koā́lemos)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2014), Pre-Greek: Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon, ed. Stefan Norbruis, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
5. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
6. ^ Adler, Ada, ed. (1928–1938), Suidae Lexicon, 5 vols, Leipzig: Teubner
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c d e f g Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
10. ^ Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
11. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
12. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge